Jazz Hands For The Introvert

I have a friend who has selflessly raised the flag and beat the drum for body acceptance and encouraging a love of reading. She literally puts it all out there. She is the founder of Naked Girls Reading Austin. It is the Austin chapter of the national organization of the same name.

About once a month they put on a performance, it is a stage performance. If you are seeking something salacious, keep moving, this isn’t your thing. Each performance has a theme; the selections are chosen to reflect this theme. This month’s theme is local Austin authors. I am very privileged to be included. I write this post not because of this, but to honor and promote the dedication of these ladies.

Our attitudes about nudity are odd, and usually given to us by someone else. Just the other day I saw two scenes in two different shows where nudity, while not shown, held a commentary. One was sexualized, the event was bent and formed to create that context. The other was comedic, and presented (a male in this case) in such a way as to invite repulsion. So often we are guided by our culture to run toward nudity with an exploitative mindset, or we are trained to be repulsed by it, usually cruelly, and at someone else’s expense. So rarely is the message of acceptance offered. That is why I support NGR.

At the heart of the evening however, is entertainment. These are beautiful women (by any definition). They are smart, funny and have been doing this for a while. They put on a hell of a show! Each show has about 4-5 readers. Within the themes, each girl chooses her own selection. They usually have a personal connection to what they are reading and they share that with the audience. These stories can be quite touching, but often, they are simply hilarious. No matter what their day job, these girls are performers. They each have such a stage presence that you would be riveted if they were wearing turtlenecks, though the name of the show wouldn’t be quite as snappy.

So if you want to get crammed and jammed, doused in spilt beer, and if you’re really lucky, maybe get thrown up on, then you know where Sixth Street is. However; If you really want to have a different kind of evening, grab your husband or wife and come on down. You will have stories for the next day and memories that come free with the show.

The next Naked Girls Reading is this Friday at The Spider House Ballroom at 8:00pm. If you’re in Austin that night, you should come out.